


exercise is heart work

by vonseal



Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Comedy, M/M, Romance, Romantic Comedy, THIS ONE will be real cute, i said witchcraft would be cute but i lied, i swear i wont lie now, i swear it on my grave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-05
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-10-15 00:40:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10547084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vonseal/pseuds/vonseal
Summary: Myungjun wanted abs and muscles and the chance to kill his friends - but more than all of that, he wanted Park Jinwoo.





	1. worst birthday ever

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ceceliinee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ceceliinee/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Park Minhyuk, you just bought your own death sentence,” Myungjun mumbled, and then shot himself finger guns in the mirror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i give finger guns out all the time and dont realize it. i gave finger guns to an important client at a work event the other day. we still got his business but _i need to stop_.

Birthdays were no fun when you grew older, Myungjun had realized on the day he turned twenty-two. He awoke expecting presents and surprises and cake, but there was nothing for him in the mail except a bill and several junk letters. In disappointment, he had tossed them aside for his roommate to go over later, and he moved about to start his day.

He went slowly while getting ready, _just in case_ his roommate had anything up his sleeve.

But when the apartment was silent, Myungjun finally checked on his roommate and found him still sleeping. Myungjun pouted.

“Binnie?”

No response came, and Myungjun tried again, louder this time. “Bin?”

Moon Bin groaned from his spot on the bed. When Myungjun edged closer, he noticed drool on the pillow. Gross. “Binnie, guess what?”

Another groan.

“It's my birthday. I'm just reminding you in case you forgot.”

Bin didn't open his eyes, but he _did_ respond, “Hyung, _please_ get out of my room in five seconds, or else I'm tossing a shoe at you.”

Myungjun let Bin count down those five seconds, and he dodged the shoe rather easily. A sleepy Binnie was a slow Binnie, after all. “I'm just saying, it's my birthday.”

“Happy birthday, then.”

“I'm wondering if you've planned a surprise party for me later today.”

“If I did, it'd be a _surprise_. Get out, _please_.”

Myungjun brightened. “So you did plan one for me?”

“Hyung, get _out_!”

The elder boy gave a wink and crept back to the doorway. Before he did escape from Bin's room, he whispered, “I'm looking forward to it, Binnie,” and gave another wink (even if Bin had already stuffed his face back in his pillow and didn't see it).

With the knowledge that his roommate was probably going to throw a surprise party (at least, he would if he knew what was good for him), Myungjun's day was a little easier to handle. He excitedly arrived at his part-time job with a large grin and a wave.

“Guess what today is?” he asked loudly, and there was no one who gave a correct answer. (Sanha was closest, with the guess of, “Wednesday?” and it technically _was_ , but Myungjun wouldn't give him that point on account it was first and foremost his _birthday_ , not Wednesday.)

When no presents arrived from his coworkers, Myungjun called his mother in desperation. “Mom, no one remembered my birthday.”

His mother gasped, “Was that today?”

Really, then, the only thing Myungjun had to look forward to was his surprise party. Or, rather, the _non-existent_ surprise party, because when he unlocked the door to his apartment that evening and peeked through, nothing was waiting for him.

“What's this?” he mumbled to himself, letting the front door slam shut behind him. Bin glanced up from his spot on the couch. His best friend, Minhyuk (who had apparently invited himself over again), didn't seem bothered by Myungjun's bad mood, and continued instead to play his video game.

“Oh, hey, Hyung. How was work?” Bin asked, and he blinked in surprise when Myungjun turned a glower on him.

“Where's my surprise party?” he asked.

“The what?”

“You told me I'd have a surprise party!”

“I literally _never_ said that.”

“Yes you did, I asked if you were planning one, and you said, _If I did, it would be a surprise_.”

“First off, that's a _horrible_ impression of me,” Bin responded with a scoff. “Secondly, that doesn't mean I was planning on throwing you a surprise party. That just means you woke me up at eight in the morning when I had just come home from my night shift and I was trying to get you out of my room.” Bin looked back over at the television screen, where Minhyuk was currently beating levels Myungjun didn't even know existed in Mario. “Why? Did you not have a good birthday?”

Myungjun took off his shoe and threw it at Bin, who yelped and scrambled out of the way. “Stop, stop! Minhyuk got you a gift, so _stop freaking out!_ ”

“Minhyuk did?”

Out of everyone who could have given him a gift, it was _Minhyuk_? The guy who was aloof and weird and also one hell of a cook? _Minhyuk_?

As if confirming it, Minhyuk nodded his head and gestured to the coffee table as he worked on killing Bowser. “It's in the envelope.”

His own mother had forgotten his birthday, but _Minhyuk_ remembered. Myungjun could have kissed him right then and there.

“Minhyuk, you're the _best_!” he exclaimed as he greedily grabbed at the envelope. He couldn't afford to be picky with his friends at this point, he guessed. Minhyuk loved him more than anyone, apparently, so Minhyuk was his new best friend. He would have to evict Bin by the end of the week.

“No problem, Hyung. Happy birthday.”

Myungjun grinned widely as he tore open the envelope and tossed the paper aside onto Bin. “You're seriously the absolute _best_! Look, Bin, he got me a silly card with dogs all over it! Isn't he the best? Gosh, Minhyuk, you're perfect. Look, Bin, it says, _I know you need this, Hyung_. Isn't that sweet? It's something I need!”

Myungjun tossed the card aside next and focused on the gift card.

He took it all back, and his grin instantly vanished from his face. Bin watched him curiously.

“Hyung?”

Myungjun grabbed his other shoe and hurled it at Minhyuk.

“A _gym membership_?” he shouted as Minhyuk calmly rubbed at the bruise that was likely to form on his head. “What the _hell_ , Minhyuk? Do I _look_ like I need a _gym membership_?”

Both Bin and Minhyuk nodded their heads.

“I take it back. I take it _all_ back. You are the _worst_ , Minhyuk, and I hope you _lose_ at this stupid game-”

“I just beat it.”

Myungjun declared this the _Worst Birthday Ever_ (trademark) and pouted in his room for the rest of the night. He didn't respond when Minhyuk yelled out that he was leaving, and he didn't respond when Bin knocked on his door to wish him a good night.

(He _did_ hit his wall multiple times when he heard Bin video chatting with his boyfriend, because Bin didn't deserve any peace or quiet.)

Come morning, however, he realized the gift wasn't _so_ bad. Once his initial anger had worn off, he looked at himself in his mirror and realized that maybe he had eaten too many pizzas and hamburgers. Maybe he could stand to lose a few pounds and gain a few muscles (and, in the process, beat the crap out of Bin and Minhyuk).

He imagined himself victorious against his roommate and his friend, with Sanha kneeling at his feet and a whole gaggle of fans cheering him on, and that image made him decide that going to the gym was actually a fantastic plan.

“Park Minhyuk, you just bought your own death sentence,” Myungjun mumbled, and then shot himself finger guns in the mirror before hurrying out of his apartment and using his phone to figure out where exactly this gym even was.

Fortunately, it was close enough that Myungjun could walk there (which counted as exercise, so he probably didn't even need to stay at the gym all that long – walking worked well, didn't it?).

And his first thought when he stepped inside was _geez, why is everyone here so buff?_

He had hoped there would be different levels of gyms to attend. He needed a beginner's gym. He could easily propel himself to the advanced gym in a matter of three days, knowing how cool and awesome he was, but he needed work on those weird-looking pieces of equipment first and foremost.

“Excuse me?” he asked the lady behind the front desk, and held out his gym membership card. “A friend bought this for me – it was my birthday yesterday, by the way, that's why he bought it.” He waited for a response, maybe a _happy birthday_ announcement, but when nothing came, he smacked his lips and continued. “Right, okay, that's cool. Anyway, I was wondering, do I give this to you, or is there different sections – right now, I need _easy_ section-”

She took the card, swiped it, and gestured behind her in boredom. “You're in.”

“That's not what I-”

“If you need help, just ask.”

“Alright, and I do, I was wondering-”

“You can ask one of the other employees, I just man the front desk.”

Myungjun frowned at her before clapping his hands together. “Okay. Fine. I can do it myself, anyway. I'm smart.” He was _dreadfully_ smart, he knew he was, and the people working on various sorts of gym equipment made it all seem quite simple.

He trudged over to the first available thing he saw. “What's this?” he murmured to himself, glancing around at all of the other gym members. None of them were obviously going to stop to help a newcomer. Which was perfectly fine; he really _could_ do it himself.

Besides that, the more he looked at the equipment, the more he realized that it looked like a weight-lifting station. He remembered seeing a drama with weights similar to this, and so he nodded his head in determination.

If a girl could lift weights, then he certainly could, as well.

But first, he needed to figure out how to pick one up. If he ducked underneath and grabbed it, it might be too heavy at first. He'd need to set it on the ground and start from there, just to play it safe.

So he started working at unloading the station of the weights. He really did wish there were instructions of some sort, because he was honestly just going by what _looked_ correct. It must not have been the right thing to do at all, because the station made a sudden creaking sound before the weights all tumbled to the ground. Myungjun jumped back in a panic, and he felt the entirety of the gym members turn and stare at him.

His face was probably beet red by now, and he stood by as the weights rolled across the ground.

He realized he probably should have asked for help, even if it was a realization that came far too late.

“Don't worry!” a voice came from behind him, a little rough, but also _very_ sweet, and Myungjun glanced back. “It was just a mistake! I've got it!”

Blond hair was what Myungjun first noticed. Great biceps were what Myungjun _then_ noticed. And legs, too, he had nice legs, and underneath that shirt, he _probably_ had the abs that Myungjun wanted to have, and when he glanced up from the mess and smiled widely, Myungjun decided to forgo the abs and the weight loss and the chance to kill Bin and Minhyuk.

More than abs or weight loss or murder, he wanted this insanely attractive fitness trainer.

(Minhyuk was right; he needed a gym membership.)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the beginning notes told you guys NOTHING i do apologize. but this plot idea was brought to you by [Ceceliinee](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Ceceliinee/pseuds/Ceceliinee), who has this work just chock full of astro ideas and i wish i could do them all, omg. in any case, this one is dedicated to her!!! i really hope you enjoy it, and thank you so much for letting me use your idea! <3
> 
> tbh i dont expect the next chapter of _elementary_ to be out until next week. i mean, on the off-chance i do find the time to write it, it'll at least be a cool surprise? but until then, pls wait until sunday or monday! (knowing me, i'll cave and write it thursday, im weak for binu). this myungjin is a little easier and quicker for me to whip up, so hopefully updates will be coming while i work on binu!!!!
> 
> send me dollar bills [@vonseal](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com) so i can buy someone to do taxes for me ew.


	2. weight-lifting fairy (sort of)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was cute and strong and perfect, and when Myungjun hurried home and flung opened the door to his apartment, he declared as much: “This fitness trainer at the gym is cute, and strong, and he's perfect-”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was honestly going to scrap this chapter and rewrite it, but i left it alone for a few days, and now it's not _as_ bad to me. i mean, it still sucks, but nothing else i came up with was any better. hopefully third chapter will be easier to write.

Myungjun decided that the world could crumble all around him and he wouldn't even mind, as long as he could continue to stare at the attractive fitness trainer in front of him. He didn't move, didn't even _blink_ , until the man waved a hand in front of Myungjun's face.

Myungjun's eyes followed that hand. It looked nice. It looked strong. Myungjun would very much like to feel the man's nice, strong hand wrap around his own, to see if those fingers would gently card together with Myungjun's own-

“Hey. Are you alright?”

The man's voice was still rough, still sweet. Something about it reminded Myungjun of power and strength and loyalty, but with a touch of honey added to the mix. It was such a lovely voice for such a lovely man.

And Myungjun desperately needed to find his own voice if he wanted the man to think of him as a sane, functioning member of society.

“What?”

“Are you alright?” the man asked again, and gestured to the heavy weights near Myungjun's feet. “None of those hit you, or landed on your toe, did they?”

“Did they what?”

“Land on your toe?”

“Did what?”

The man raised an eyebrow, then moved forward. That brought Myungjun out of his slight daze, seeing the attractive fitness trainer step toward him like that, and he tried to scramble backwards. The keyword was _tried_ , because in all his staring, he had forgotten about those damn weights all over the floor, and the back of his foot caught one. He felt himself falling, but the fitness trainer grabbed his arms just in time.

_Yes_ , Myungjun thought, his hands were nice and strong and the fingers wrapped around Myungjun's wrists, securing him in spot while remaining gentle. Now if he could only maneuver correctly, he might be able to slid the man's hands down to his own, and then they could hold hands.

His maneuver, however, seemed to ensure the man that Myungjun was perfectly fine and capable of handling himself, and he was released. Disappointment settled in his stomach, and he glanced down at the mess he had caused. “Sorry,” he mumbled, and he realized it was probably the first coherent thing he had said to the man since they met.

(Though they hadn't _officially_ met, so once they were introduced, Myungjun decided they could start their relationship all over and forget everything that had already taken place.)

“No, no, it's fine. It was an accident.” The man beamed brightly. For such a strong guy, he sure had adorable cheeks that were pushed back when he smiled, forcing his eyes into crescent shapes and making him look more precious than even Sanha could look. “Here, let me fix this for you.”

The man put the station back in place and moved to the heavy weights. Myungjun stood by uselessly, trying to think of some sort of small talk to make.

“Do you work here?” is what he landed on. The man looked up with an amused smirk, and Myungjun cleared his throat. “I-I mean, as...a fitness trainer, or do you do something else?”

“Fitness trainer.” And Myungjun could certainly see why, especially when the man bent down in position and lifted one of the weights. The muscles in his arms were taut as he did so, a small grunt protruding from his mouth when was finally able to set it back in place. He wiped his hands on his gym shorts and glanced back at Myungjun. “My name is Park Jinwoo. I've been working here for a year now.”

Myungjun's eyes were wide as he stared. His mouth felt dry. “Ah,” he responded, and it took Jinwoo suddenly reaching forward and prodding his shoulder for Myungjun to snap out of his slight daze.

“Haven't you ever seen someone lift weights before? You're acting like I just preformed a miracle.” Jinwoo squatted behind another weight. “These aren't even that heavy.”

Myungjun's eyes followed him closely as this second weight was lifted, too, and he scanned over Jinwoo's arms before letting his gaze travel down, watching the way his chest moved up and down as he breathed, steadily and evenly. When Jinwoo placed that weight aside and turned back, Myungjun realized he hadn't looked up quick enough.

Jinwoo totally caught him gawking, and a pleasant blush started appearing across his cheeks. “Um...d-do you want to give it a try?”

“Do I-?”

“Yeah.” Jinwoo nodded his head. “Come on, they're light enough. Let's do...” Jinwoo glanced around, then pointed at one of the smaller weights. “Here. Come over here.”

Jinwoo was a witch, probably, because despite Myungjun being _very_ uncertain with the concept of lifting heavy weights, he obeyed Jinwoo's command. Something drew him closer (most likely those fantastic muscles).

“Alright, now I need you to squat – remember how I did it? Set your feet about a hip's-length apart.”

“Alright.” Myungjun cleared his throat and squatted, trying to remember exactly how Jinwoo had done so. Feet apart, back relatively straight- or so he assumed, until Jinwoo suddenly came up behind him.

“Not bad,” the fitness trainer mumbled. “But you need to curve slightly.” Jinwoo's hands were suddenly on Myungjun's back, gently pushing at his spine. Myungjun complied as quickly as he possibly could, ensuring his back was correct before gripping the metal rod of the weight. “Don't lift it yet.” Jinwoo's voice was softer, in his ear now, and Myungjun's heart hammered. “You need to put all of the weight on your heels – got it?”

“Yup.” Myungjun could hardly hear Jinwoo above the sound of his heart beating against his chest. “Got it.”

And then he lifted the weight. It really _wasn't_ that difficult at first, and Myungjun put all efforts into attempting to lift it more than a couple of inches off the ground, but then, suddenly, Jinwoo's hand was on his butt, and he said, “Don't lift fully with your arms, you need to keep your original position first and-”

Myungjun dropped the weight and spun around suddenly, nearly tripping again. He caught his own footing this time and hurriedly backed away from Jinwoo, who just looked at him in confusion. “What?”

“You were- you-” He had to take steady breaths. Even if Jinwoo _had_ been touching his butt, even if it _was_ just to show Myungjun the correct position to take, it was still extremely nerve-wracking.

(Myungjun hoped Jinwoo would touch his butt if they ever met again after this.)

“It's too heavy!” Myungjun exclaimed, trying to offer some sort of explanation for his odd behavior (even if he felt completely justified – a hot guy had been groping his butt, after all, he felt as if he deserved to have a mini freakout). “And I just remembered, I have a birthday party-” He couldn't even finish his lie before Jinwoo gasped and clapped his hands together.

“A birthday party? Is it your birthday?” Jinwoo was acting as if he hadn't just completely invaded Myungjun's personal space. “Happy birthday!”

Oh, god, he was perfect, and Myungjun gave him a large bow. “Thank you very much!” he practically yelled, and shot his head back up, trying to smile as if everything _was_ normal. “But I have to go!”

Jinwoo returned the smile – his seemed far more genuine. “Alright! I hope you can come back. I'll finish going over how to lift weights, if we meet again.”

“Right.” Myungjun nodded his head and backed away again. He would have continued walking backwards, just to stare at Jinwoo for as long as he could, but after bumping into a very sweaty, large man, he decided it was probably for his own good to walk facing forward. “B-Bye, Jinwoo.”

“Bye!” Jinwoo waved.

He was cute and strong and perfect, and when Myungjun hurried home and flung opened the door to his apartment, he declared as much: “This fitness trainer at the gym is cute, and strong, and he's _perfect-_ ”

His roommate looked up from where he was lighting a birthday candle, which had been stuck carefully into a small cake. “You're home early,” Bin complained, and finished lighting the candle. “Dongminnie! You don't need to put up any decorations, he's back.”

Myungjun glanced near their television set to see Dongmin pouting and pulling down a few party streamers. “I thought you said he wouldn't be back for an hour or two.”

“That's what he texted me.” Bin frowned and gestured to the cake. “Minhyuk isn't even here yet, but whatever. Surprise, Hyung.”

Myungjun blinked in confusion, then finally closed the front door behind him. “It's, um, it's not even my birthday today. My birthday was yesterday-”

“And that's the surprise.”

“What he means,” Dongmin added, “is that he forgot to do anything yesterday and felt bad about it, so this is his gift to you.”

“Dongmin, shut up.”

Myungjun untied his shoes and set them aside. “Well, not exactly the surprise party I had in mind,” he mumbled, and, if possible, Bin's glower grew even more dangerous, “but I guess it's fine. Though I have even _better_ news than my birthday.”

“Wow. I didn't think that was possible, with how much you complained about it-”

“No, Bin, it _is_ possible, because usually on my birthday, I'm surrounded by ugly people. You, for example, Minhyuk whenever he comes, though your boyfriend is an exception to that rule-”

“Thank you!” Dongmin looked pleased.

“-but I've never had a hot man touch my ass on my birthday.”

Dongmin's smile vanished, and he looked just as confused as Bin ended up looking. “What does that mean?” he asked.

“I thought you went to the gym,” Bin muttered, and he suddenly gasped. “You didn't go to see a _prostitute_ , did you?”

“Oh my god.” Myungjun groaned and hurried over to the cake. “You're an idiot.” And, more quietly, he murmured, “ _Please let Jinwoo become my boyfriend, Amen_ -” and blew out the candle.

“Did you just pray to the cake?”

“So _Jinwoo_ ,” Myungjun started his story, propping himself against the counter and, in turn, completely ignoring Bin, “is a fitness trainer at the gym that Minhyuk got me a membership to – my only birthday present, by the way, Dongmin – and he touched my butt.”

“He...touched your butt?”

“It's really not that hard of a concept, Binnie. Like this-” And Myungjun demonstrated on his roommate, who yelped and smacked his hand.

“Knock it off, Hyung! I get what you meant! I'm just wondering _why_ he touched your butt.”

Myungjun giggled and let his hands fall back to his sides. “Because I knocked over a bunch of weights, so he was teaching me how to properly pick them back up again. And to make sure I maintained the correct posture, he _touched my butt_.”

Bin didn't look nearly as excited as he should have looked. “I'm sure any of the trainers would have done the same. It's something you expect from a fitness trainer.”

“No, this was different. I could tell he _liked_ touching my butt.”

“Why?”

“Dongmin, can you explain to your boyfriend that I have a perfect ass?” Myungjun questioned, glancing back at the other boy. Dongmin still looked dreadfully confused, and Myungjun decided not to even bother trying to _re_ explain himself. If Dongmin couldn't grasp the information the first time around, then Myungjun wasn't going to bother. “Never mind. Both of you are hopeless.” Myungjun sighed dramatically, but then decided that now wasn't the time for his theatrics. He needed to focus on gaining Jinwoo's complete and utter affection

He couldn't knock over a weight station every time he went to the gym, after all.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> butt groping is my legacy, remember? so i gotta stick to it, shazam.
> 
> it's half past midnight and i haven't eaten since my 9am chicken tenders, send me dollar bills so i can restock my fridge lol, [@vonseal](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com).


	3. personal fitness trainer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Myungjun rifled through the pile of clothes he had dumped into Dongmin's hands. “Let's try on some pants. If I can't make my arms look good, at least I can make my butt look good so he'll touch it again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im real exhausted, so not much to say here except i hope you guys enjoy some fluffy myungjin!

If there was one person Myungjun wanted to go shopping with, it was Dongmin. Dongmin had a sense of style that Myungjun envied greatly, and no matter what Dongmin wore, he managed to make it look good. Thus, when Myungjun declared he was going shopping, he chose Dongmin as his partner.

It took only a few minutes of convincing. Fortunately for him, Dongmin was much more soft than either Minhyuk or Bin, and so after giving him a small pout and mumbling, “Jinwoo will never like me if I don't look good,” Dongmin had agreed to come out of guilt.

 _Un_ fortunately for him, Dongmin seemed to only be choosing clothes based on how well they _should_ look on someone who worked out often at the gym. Myungjun did _not_ work out often at the gym (not yet, anyway).

“Do you know how much skin this shows?” Myungjun asked from his stall in the dressing room.

Dongmin, waiting right outside for him, responded, “Hyung, you'll be working out a lot, if you're going to go see Jinwoo this much, and I think it'd be good for you to show a _little_ something off. That's how Bin did it.”

Myungjun frowned at himself in the mirror, then waved his arms around. He didn't have Jinwoo's biceps at all. “Me and Jinwoo are a little bit different,” he commented, then pulled the shirt off over his head with a groan. “Can't I just wear a normal t-shirt?”

“You've got plenty of those are home, so what are we here for?”

Myungjun threw on his own shirt and poked his head out of the dressing room door. Dongmin looked over at him in exasperation. “If you don't want to wear any of the tops I chose, let's just go.”

“Not yet,” Myungjun responded, and he rifled through the pile of clothes he had dumped into Dongmin's hands. “Let's try on some pants. If I can't make my arms look good, at least I can make my butt look good so he'll touch it again.”

Dongmin certainly did blush a lot whenever Myungjun mentioned butts, and the older boy scoffed. “Stop acting all innocent, Dongmin. As if you haven't seen a butt before, christ. I can hear everything that goes on in my apartment, Dongmin, give me these pants.”

That caused Dongmin to blush all the more, and he tried desperately to ensure Myungjun that he and Bin would _never_ do _anything_ in the shared apartment, but Myungjun had tuned him out at that point, instead focusing on his reflection in the mirror with this new pair of pants.

They weren't overly tight, but they still made his legs look good, at least, and so he decided on those.

“You can put the rest of these back,” he informed the still-embarrassed Dongmin. “I'm going to just buy these pants. Ooh, and a headband!”

Dongmin thrust the clothes in a _return_ section of the dressing room before following Myungjun sullenly. “Why do you need a headband?”

“Lots of people who exercise wear headbands.”

“Do you even know _why_?”

Myungjun grabbed a blue one and grinned widely at his friend. “To push their hair out of their eyes, I guess. Or to catch sweat. Or just to look pretty, which is _exactly_ what I'm going to be doing. Hopefully I don't have to work out _too_ much, because then I'll actually end up sweating and he'll find me repulsive.”

“The whole point of going to the gym to meet him _is_ to work out.”

“Nope, you got it the wrong way; the point of working out is to _meet him_ ,” Myungjun corrected helpfully as he handed his items over to the cashier in front of him. “I wasn't _really_ going to do much with a gym membership, anyway, except gain enough muscles to beat the hell out of your boyfriend.”

“For forgetting your birthday?”

Myungjun nodded his head seriously. “Exactly.”

“As his boyfriend, I can't allow that to happen,” Dongmin responded, and when Myungjun glared at him, he backtracked. “However, I suppose as a friend of yours, I can cheer you on.”

“That's the spirit, Dongmin.”

Dongmin ended up paying for the clothes; Myungjun decided he forgot his wallet at home, and ignored Dongmin's argument of, “I see it sticking out of your back pocket, though.” As such, the younger boy grumbled a little about how broke he was as Myungjun led them back to the apartment.

“Just think of it as a birthday gift!” Myungjun exclaimed, swinging his bag in his arms. “I'll even say it was a joint birthday gift between you and Binnie, and then I won't beat the hell out of him when I develop some really serious biceps.”

“You're very kind,” Dongmin mumbled, and Myungjun just decided to pretend that he meant it.

Regardless, the clothes really did make Myungjun feel slightly more confident in his abilities to win over Jinwoo's heart. As he stared at himself in the mirror the next day, he decided that he was _really_ a good-looking man. Even if Jinwoo wanted someone with more muscles, he could totally develop those in a few days.

(And if Jinwoo wanted a girl, Myungjun was certain he could find a wig somewhere.)

“I'm off!” Myungjun announced to Bin as he stepped into the living room. “Wish me luck on scoring myself a hot date tonight!”

Bin lazily waved a hand, which caused Myungjun to huff. “Aren't you curious about _how_ I'm going to score a hot date tonight?”

“How, Hyung?”

“Awesome, thanks for asking. So my plan for this is to go there and request Jinwoo as my personalized trainer. I'm sure this membership card means I get whatever I want, basically. And then I'm going to do a lot of squats, and Jinwoo will be _in love_ with my butt, which means he's basically in love with me.”

Bin finally glanced up from his phone. “Because your personality is like an ass?”

Myungjun hadn't thought his statement through, so he tried to backtrack. “Because...my ass is as perfect as my personali- Bin, stop laughing or I'll put _your_ ass out of order and then Dongmin will never come around again.”

That made Bin laugh harder, if anything, and with one last huff, Myungjun stormed out of his apartment. Screw Bin! He didn't need him, anyway. He _would_ score a hot date with Jinwoo, and then Bin _would_ have to apologize for messing with him.

He couldn't stay mad for too long, though, not with the prospect of getting to see Jinwoo for a second time. When he got to the gym, he had a little skip in his step, and he happily made his way up to the lady at the front desk. He remembered her from the other day, so he gave her a cheery smile. “Hello!” he greeted. “I'm here to request a personal fitness trainer! His name is Jinwoo, he's about my height with the most amazing arms I've ever seen and-”

“You have to call the number here-” the girl interrupted, pointing out a phone number on a sheet of paper with a few names on it. “And schedule appointments that way.”

Myungjun blinked at it. “Why can't you just do it?” he questioned, but she pointed again with an exasperated expression. “Fine.” If she was going to be difficult, Myungjun didn't care. He was going to ensure he had a chance to workout with Jinwoo as often as possible, so with dramatic flourish, he dialed the number in his phone and put it to his ear.

Instantly, the phone at the front desk began to ring, and the girl behind the desk answered it. “Hello, how can I help you today?” she asked in a sing-song voice as she stared smugly at Myungjun.

Myungjun took a deep breath. He was supposed to murder his friends, not this random customer-service worker. “I'm beginning to think that you don't like me,” he muttered into the phone.

The girl laughed. “Now, why on earth would you think that, sir? What can I help you with today?”

Myungjun was prepared to register through the girl via his cellphone, despite how idiotic he found the situation, but he caught sight of Jinwoo just then, moving an exercise ball back into it's rightful location. Well, there was his chance to escape _this_ , and he pocketed his phone. “Never mind,” he responded. “I'll do it personally with him.”

He didn't thank her for her help, because she was _completely_ unhelpful. Instead, he rushed over to Jinwoo. The fitness trainer looked up in surprise when Myungjun stumbled to a halt in front of him.

“Hi!” Myungjun exclaimed with a wide grin. “Do you remember me from the other day?”

Myungjun caught a glimpse of recognition light up in Jinwoo's face, but as soon as it was there, it was hidden by fake indifference. “Hm? Oh, um...I think so. Were you the guy who knocked over a bunch of weights?”

“I knew you wouldn't forget me! Yeah!” Myungjun held out his hand and Jinwoo hesitated before reaching out and shaking it. His grasp was firm and strong; a solid handshake. Myungjun instantly approved.

(But he had approved of Jinwoo long before that handshake, anyway.)

“Are you back to, um, to try out weightlifting again?” Jinwoo asked, crossing his arms over his chest, and either knowingly or unknowingly displaying his strong biceps for Myungjun to (try not to) gawk at.

The older boy shook his head and gestured to the front desk, where the girl was staring at them both. “Trying to sign myself up so that you can become my personal fitness trainer!”

Jinwoo's smile was wiped off his face and he blinked in surprise. “What?”

“Yeah, I thought you were very handsy – _handy_ , handy, I mean, with, um, the weights, and I liked what I saw.” He _very much_ liked what he saw, but when he realized Jinwoo was still staring, he had to reword that sentence. “I liked how strong you were.” Nope, not that one, either. Myungjun's cheeks had a light dusting of pink by this time. “I liked how well you seemed to, um, to teach me how to do things. When you, um, instructed me on the correct way to stand.”

 _When you grabbed my ass_ , but that was neither here nor there (okay, okay, it was _totally_ here for Myungjun).

Jinwoo cleared his throat. “So...so you want _me_ to be your personal fitness trainer?”

Myungjun nodded his head eagerly as a response.

It took a few more seconds of Jinwoo looking shocked and confused before finally clearing his throat and letting his arms drop back down to his sides. “Alright, then, um, I guess we can go sign you up?” He gestured for Myungjun to follow him, then led him back to the front desk.

“I tried that,” Myungjun whispered, trying to ensure the girl didn't hear him, “but she's a little grumpy.”

However, she wasn't grumpy for Jinwoo. She lit up completely and cleared away everything she _had_ been working on in order to bat her eyelashes and giggle brightly. Myungjun was confused about the change of attitude before recognizing the tell-tale signs of romantic feelings blossoming.

And, unfortunately for him, Jinwoo smiled fondly at her.

Oh, god. Maybe Jinwoo was straight. Maybe Jinwoo was actually into _girls_ , in which case Myungjun's efforts would be pointless.

(Though he _did_ still know someone who could make him a pretty nice wig.)

“Hey, Bongcha!” Jinwoo greeted, and the girl waved shyly at him.

Myungjun tightened his lips and moved to stand as close as possible next to Jinwoo without actually touching him.

“I'm going to sign him up for personal fitness lessons, if that's alright. Do you mind charging him for me?”

The girl – Bongcha – looked over at Myungjun with slight distaste before returning a smile to Jinwoo and passing him the clipboard. Before she could do anything, though, Myungjun pulled out his gym membership. “I've got this,” he told her proudly, waving it slightly in front of her face. “So we're all good.”

“It costs extra on top of a membership,” Jinwoo responded.

Myungjun glanced over at him, losing his pride in the process, and then back at Bongcha, who was giving him quite the smirk. He hadn't expected to pay money just to have the chance to spend some alone time with Jinwoo – wasn't that something people did with prostitutes?

Except when he watched the movement of Jinwoo's arm as he signed the document, Myungjun complied, ignoring whatever it was the price would be in order to ogle at his brand new personal fitness trainer.

“What's your name?” Jinwoo asked, not once looking up from the sheet.

“M-Myungjun. Um, _Kim_ Myungjun.”

Jinwoo spelled it correctly the first time, thankfully, and then passed the sheet over for Myungjun to sign properly himself. Bongcha watched with slight disappointment as Myungjun finished the deed and grinned up at Jinwoo.

“Can we go ahead and get started?” he asked quickly. He was eager to show off his new work clothes.

Jinwoo returned the smile and set the clipboard down. “Sure,” he replied. “Go ahead to that mat over there-” He pointed, and Myungjun had to turn around to see which mat Jinwoo was referring to, “-and I'll be over in a few minutes to help you warm up before we begin.”

Myungjun nodded his head and moved to leave, but Jinwoo suddenly reached out and gently grabbed onto Myungjun's wrist. He squeezed it ever so lightly, and when he had received a wide-eyed look from Myungjun, he murmured, “I'll look forward to this.”

Once he let go, he was professional again, all smiles and nods, completely ignoring the shock from both Bongcha and Myungjun. Seemingly unaware of the tension he had caused, he simply winked in Myungjun's direction and then walked off to prepare for his training session.

Myungjun watched him go, swallowing thickly and slapping his cheeks a few times in order to prove to himself that he was actually alive, that he _hadn't_ just dreamed that up.

He hoped his birthday prayer was going to come true.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOT ENOUGH JINWOO, WE NEED MORE MYUNGJIN.
> 
> send me all and any thoughts about myungjin because these two give me life [@vonseal](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com).


	4. spoiler: myungjun wins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Flexibility is something that comes with a lot of practice,” Jinwoo responded, and he suddenly rubbed Myungjun's back, fingers kneading out places that Myungjun was pushing beyond limits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the duel for jinwoo's attention takes place in this chapter. the title tells you all you need to know.

Jinwoo had given Myungjun the instructions, “Do a quick warmup while I get a few things prepared.” When Myungjun asked what needed preparation, Jinwoo had mumbled something about supplies and notes, and then he had hurried off. As it was, Myungjun was left by himself for a few minutes in order to _warm up_.

Except he didn't know how to warm up.

Park Minhyuk was the king of warming up in random places for absolutely nothing. Myungjun would challenge him to a friendly video game and Minhyuk would declare, “Let me warm up first!” and then do fifteen pushups on the floor. Myungjun would also ask if he could _please_ wash his dishes after eating, and Minhyuk would decide that also needed to have a warmup, typically jumping jacks. Sometimes he would stretch, too, for no reason, and claim he was just warming up.

So even if Park Minhyuk was a total moron who probably just wanted to show off, at least Myungjun had learned that warming up involved pushups and jumping jacks and stretching.

Stretching seemed easiest and less likely to involve sweat, so Myungjun decided to start with that first. He sat on the ground and stuck his feet out in front of him, then stretched down as far as he could, grunting as he attempted to touch his toes like Minhyuk could.

His fingers barely made it to his shins, and he sat back up with a gasp. This was much harder than it looked. He wondered if Jinwoo could do anything like this.

He wondered where Jinwoo was, though, more than anything – he craned his neck to see, but the only person who caught his eyes was Bongcha, and she was still pouting in his direction.

Myungjun might have stuck his tongue out at her and she might have rolled her eyes, but he wasn't going to focus on that. Instead, he was going to continue his stretching exercises.

He was still working on bending his back over at an unnecessary angle when he saw someone sit down on the mat beside him from the corner of his eye. He glanced over -

How dare she.

How _dare_ Bongcha be sitting next to him with a smug expression. And _how dare_ she suddenly put her feet out and bend over in a perfect stretch, grasping onto her toes and wiggling them as if mocking Myungjun's difficulty.

He straightened up again with a deep intake of breath. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“I'm going to be exercising, too.”

“You have to work the front desk!”

She shook her head, then pointed at her watch. “It's my break, and for my breaks, I usually exercise a little bit.”

“There are, like, ten other mats all over this place. Look, there's a nice one by the corner-” Myungjun pointed. “I'm sure the wall would appreciate your company.”

She made no response to that, only shrugging and going back to her stretching. Myungjun would have continued to scowl at her for an indefinite period of time if he hadn't heard Jinwoo's voice right then.

“Glad to see you're already getting started!” The fitness trainer was right behind him, and Myungjun quickly spun around to look up at him. Jinwoo smiled widely, and Myungjun's heart hammered in his chest. “Can you reach your toes?”

Jinwoo had fixed his hair, Myungjun noted, pushing it up to show off his forehead, and Myungjun found that somehow even sexier than when they had originally met. “Uh-” Myungjun cleared his throat and looked back down at his outstretched feet. “I, uh-”

“Bongcha's got it!” Jinwoo interrupted him and gestured over to the girl, who was smiling in pride as she bent her body over to touch her toes. “She's got a great position, too. Think you can imitate it, Myungjun?”

Even if Jinwoo didn't mean it as a challenge, Myungjun readily accepted it as such. He frowned and glared down at his feet.

He'd touch them today, even if he threw his back out in the process.

“I can,” he responded, and with that, he bent over again. His fingers reached his shins this time, which was definitely progress, but as much as he urged his arms to grow longer and touch his feet, they refused to do so.

He heard Bongcha hide a snicker.

Jinwoo hadn't heard; or, if he did, he didn't say anything to Bongcha, and he didn't mention it at all. Instead, he squatted down to Myungjun's level and placed a hand on the small of his back. “Don't push it too hard,” he murmured.

Myungjun shook his head. “I can do it.”

“Flexibility is something that comes with a lot of practice,” Jinwoo responded, and he suddenly rubbed Myungjun's back, fingers kneading out places that Myungjun was pushing beyond limits.

Myungjun decided he could turn to putty right now.

He pulled himself back up with an extremely red face, which he figured Jinwoo would assume was simply from exercising and _not_ from pure exhilaration from just being _touched_ by Jinwoo. At the very least, he hoped Jinwoo would assume that.

“This is your first time coming to a gym, right?” Jinwoo asked. He was very close, and Myungjun felt a little shy with the proximity.

“Um, yeah.”

Jinwoo smiled brightly. Had Myungjun been standing, his knees probably would have given out.

“Well, then, don't worry about reaching your toes today. We'll keep on stretching, and you'll be able to reach them one of these days. How about we work on, um...push-ups?”

Myungjun would have lifted a five-hundred pound weight if Jinwoo asked him to. “Uh-huh. Push-ups. Right.” He moved to the position, trying to remember exactly how Minhyuk did his push-ups.

Before he could attempt one himself, however, he heard Jinwoo suddenly say, “When did your form get so perfect, Bongcha?”

Myungjun glanced over, and _of course_ Bongcha had to one-up him once more. She was smiling as she dipped to the ground and then pushed herself back up, and even though her arms trembled slightly, she seemed to be doing a fine job.

Jinwoo gently tapped Myungjun's shoulder and added, “I used to be _her_ fitness trainer. She's good, isn't she?”

Jinwoo was gushing far too much about Bongcha, and Myungjun didn't like it. “Perfect,” he mumbled, and he went down for his own push-up. Once again, though, Jinwoo was stopping him.

“You need to put your hips down a little more.”

“What?”

“Hips – butt, really, your butt.”

And then Jinwoo put his hand on Myungjun's butt again, pressing down ever so lightly. “It needs to be lowered a bit, so your back can be perfectly straight.”

Jinwoo was probably a fantastic fitness trainer, and anyone _not_ swayed by an attractive man touching their butt would have learned proper positions. Myungjun, though, was someone who was very easily swayed by an attractive man touching his butt, and the shock of it happening a second time made his arms give out on him. He collapsed to the ground with a huff of breath.

Jinwoo giggled lightly, and Bongcha snorted beside him. “Are you okay, Myungjun?”

“Fi-Fine.” Myungjun cleared his throat and pushed himself back up. “Like this? Is this position good?” He assumed the exact same position he had been in, and decided that now that he was anticipating the butt-touch, he probably wouldn't be as shocked.

Fortunately, he did stay up this time as Jinwoo gently tried to lower his hips.

(He also glanced over at Bongcha and smirked – she wasn't laughing now.)

“Alright, you're good now. Try lowering yourself,” Jinwoo stated, and with a deep breath, Myungjun went to the floor, nose almost touching the mat, and then pushed himself back up. “That was great!” Jinwoo congratulated him. “Try it again!”

“My arms feel like noodles, Jinwoo.”

“Just one more time, then I promise that's it.”

He would do anything for Jinwoo, he reminded himself, so he forced himself to complete one more full pushup. Jinwoo clapped for him as Myungjun rested his head and wondered how people actually _enjoyed_ working out (at least, how people enjoyed working out when they didn't have Jinwoo as their personal fitness trainer).

“Do you know of any other warmups you'd like to try?” Jinwoo asked when Myungjun had a moment to catch his breath.

“This is still just a warmup?” Myungjun responded, which caused Jinwoo to laugh loudly. His voice sounded like the chiming of bells, and Myungjun found himself absolutely, utterly, completely smitten for the man.

“Still just a warmup.”

Myungjun groaned and sat up. “Jumping jacks? Can I do those?”

“Sure!” Jinwoo helped him to his feet, holding his hands softly and rubbing a thumb over them before letting him go. Myungjun decided he would never wash his hands again.

“Hey, Bongcha? Let's see how much you remember from our sessions – can you show Myungjun the form for a jumping jack?”

She had been pouting as Jinwoo helped Myungjun, but now that the attention was back on her, she brightened considerably and stood up as well. She was shorter than Jinwoo by a few inches, and Myungjun wondered if Jinwoo liked someone petite. He hoped so, because his friends always told _him_ he was petite.

“Let me just take off my shirt for this – I still have to work later, so I don't want to sweat in it.” She didn't wait for a response before pulling her t-shirt up over her head. Myungjun was quick to avert his gaze, but then he realized she had a sports bra on underneath, and he cleared his throat and pretended as if he hadn't just panicked over that.

(Bongcha noticed, because she was smirking again.)

And, as she handed her shirt over to Jinwoo for him to hold, Myungjun realized he couldn't one-up _that_. He had no abs to speak of, so taking off his shirt would probably make Jinwoo laugh more than anything, and he wasn't a girl, so obviously he didn't have Bongcha's soft skin and curves.

_Damn_ her. She really knew how to play this game.

She did a few jumping jacks, and when she was done, Jinwoo patted her shoulder kindly. “Glad to see my training paid off! You look great, too!”

She was flushed, either from the exercise or from Jinwoo's praise, Myungjun couldn't tell. He _could_ tell, though, that the sudden intense burst of energy in him came from the jealousy he felt at seeing Jinwoo offer a pretty, young girl compliments and pats, and he wanted to be that pretty young girl.

Myungjun cleared his throat, and Jinwoo looked over at him, still smiling widely. “Just do five or ten jumping jacks,” he said, “and keep the form that Bongcha had. Bend your arms up at your head like she did.”

But Myungjun wasn't going to use _her_ as an example, on account that he decided he would declare war with her. Instead, he remembered Minhyuk's impromptu jumping jacks inside the apartment (and why Minhyuk had to exercise every time he popped in, Myungjun had no clue). He would channel Minhyuk's obvious exercise-prowess and one-up Bongcha that way. He couldn't take off his shirt like she could, nor could he show off such a nice body, but he _could_ bend his arms correctly.

So he did, and after five jumping jacks ( _more than enough_ , his body pleaded with him), Jinwoo looked pleased. “You're doing fantastic for a beginner, Myungjun!” he exclaimed, and with his praise came his own pat from Fitness Trainer Park Jinwoo.

Myungjun expected the pat to be just like the one he gave to Bongcha; quick, chaste, friendly. However, after a few pats, Jinwoo let his hand linger, lightly squeezing Myungjun's bicep as he continued to talk. “I think in a few weeks, you'll probably have the best-looking body out of anyone here. I mean, you might already – like, I mean, not to sound weird, I know this is your first time in a gym, but you look...”

Jinwoo trailed off. Both Bongcha and Myungjun waited for him to finish, each for their own reasons. When Jinwoo suddenly looked at a loss, both Bongcha and Myungjun decided to finish the sentence themselves – again, each for their own reasons.

“Handsome?” Myungjun questioned.

At the same time, Bongcha asked, “Gross?”

They glared at each other, and Jinwoo laughed, ignoring the obvious tension. “Handsome, I guess. But, um...also a little sexy.”

_Sexy_. _Sexy_.

Myungjun repeated the words in his head as he stared at Jinwoo with wide eyes. Bongcha looked a little distraught, but Myungjun completely disregarded her defeat in favor of squeaking out, “You think I'm sexy?”

Jinwoo laughed again, nervously this time, and released his light hold on Myungjun's arm. “Let's, um, let's get you started on a treadmill, shall we?”

He didn't answer the question, but the blush spreading across his cheeks was enough for Myungjun, and he watched Jinwoo walk away.

He would have followed instantly, because he _longed_ to trail after Jinwoo and request more of his attention, but he first needed to make one thing clear, so he turned to Bongcha and whispered, “I won?”

She sighed and conceded, “You won.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really didn't know what i was going to do with this chapter originally; chapter five is all planned out, but chapter four was a mystery to me. but the amazing and fantastic and sweet [@daeminanalo](http://www.daeminanalo.tumblr.com) gave me the idea to have myungjun and bongcha both vying for jinwoo's attention, and i thought it would work out brilliantly with the silly angle i had taken for this. round of applause to her, i really couldn't have written this chapter without her help!
> 
> (jinwoo said he needed to _get a few things prepared_ before helping myungjun - it was fixing his hair, he was fixing his hair)
> 
> send my cute daeminanalo dollar bills, and send me stupid asks [@vonseal](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com).


	5. concept: asking people out on dates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Myungjun wondered how he was expected to make it home without turning into a puddle of joy and happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bongcha, aka mj's wingman

It had been three days since Myungjun had won Jinwoo against his fight with Bongcha.

(“You didn't _win him_ , you guys didn't really even _fight_ ,” Bin argued, and Myungjun shushed him quickly.)

Three days since they had truly started their training, and Myungjun was in heaven whenever he so much as looked at Jinwoo. “And it's not just the fact that he has a hot body – because he does, _god_ , he really has such a hot-”

“I get it,” Bin mumbled under his breath.”

“Well, it isn't _just_ his body or his handsome face – you haven't met him, have you? He has the most handsome face I've ever seen, even when you place him up against Lee Dongmin.”

“Okay.” Bin closed the fridge door and spun around, obviously more interested in sending Myungjun a glare than he was in choosing what they would have for lunch. “ _No one_ is more handsome than Dongmin.”

Myungjun clicked his tongue up against the roof of his mouth. “Obviously you haven't met Jinwoo, then. But let me finish, Bin, you keep interrupting.” He continued, ignoring Bin's glower, “So it isn't just his body and it isn't just his face. I just feel _happy_ when I'm around him. Like, he compliments me and my heart feels like it's about to just fly off into the clouds. And he _laughs_ , and I can't even laugh with him because I just want to stare at him – he's so mesmerizing, Bin.”

Bin's angry look had disappeared, and he actually gave Myungjun a soft smile. “Sounds like love.”

“Does it?” Myungjun couldn't help but return the smile with a wide grin of his own. “I think I do love him. Is it weird to love someone after only a few days of meeting him? I mean, he holds my waist as he helps me lift weights, and whenever I get too tired, he's always patting my back, even though I'm sweaty, and helping me drink water. But is that love?”

“Well, it's love on your part,” Bin responded.

“Are you sure it's not just me being silly? Maybe I'm being silly.”

Bin sighed and plopped down at the table. “How about you ask him out on a date?” the younger boy suggested, and when Myungjun glanced over at him in horror, he shrugged and added, “That's what people do to other people they like.”

“What a concept.”

“I really can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not,” Bin mumbled, and he watched as Myungjun grabbed his exercise bag (he had once asked what Myungjun put in it, and he didn't seem surprised when Myungjun opened it to reveal absolutely nothing, save for a lone bottle of water - “Having a large bag makes me seem like I know what I'm doing,” Myungjun had whispered to him, as if spilling a large secret). “Are you going to the gym this early?”

“I have work tonight,” Myungjun complained, hoisting the bag over his shoulder. “So I texted Jinwoo and told him I'd be a little earlier today.”

Bin nodded his head, then brightened. “Wait, you got his number?”

Myungjun looked down at his phone, a slight blush spotting his cheeks. “Yeah. He gave it to me just in case I needed to cancel or change times.”

“You can text him and see if he wants to hang out, you know.”

Myungjun stuffed his phone away in his pocket and wrinkled his nose. “That's a little too bold,” he mumbled. Jinwoo wouldn't agree to do it, anyway. Sure, Jinwoo said _once_ that he found Myungjun sexy, but it also could be a ploy to make Myungjun pay him more (if so, it worked, Myungjun signed up for a whole month after that). Besides, Myungjun had initially thought the whole _butt touching_ thing was something Jinwoo reserved only for him – but he had come a bit early two days ago and noticed Jinwoo fixing the form of a female student, and his hand _definitely_ touched her butt.

Putting two and two together made Myungjun a little more nervous around Jinwoo, because what _if_ Jinwoo didn't like him in such a manner? What _if_ Jinwoo was just being nice to him because Myungjun was a customer, which meant he _had_ to be nice?

What if Jinwoo was totally not into Myungjun the way Myungjun was into him?

(Then the extra, non-refundable month he signed up for would be painful.)

Bin broke his thoughts with a cheerful, “I think he'll go for you, Hyung! Invite him to the apartment just to hang out, and see where that leads you?”

Myungjun glanced over at his roommate. “You think he'd come?”

Bin nodded, and it was a solid, determined nod. It was difficult to not trust Bin when he looked so certain. “I know he will.”

So maybe Bin was right. _Maybe_ he was right. Myungjun _could_ ask Jinwoo to hang out, and that way he could ease it all into date material.

“You know Bin, sometimes you actually put your brain to good use,” Myungjun mumbled.

“What?”

“I'll be back late tonight. I'm taking a shower at the gym and heading to work, so don't wait up on me.” Myungjun pulled on his shoes and ignored Bin's delightful cheer. He already knew he would probably come home to Dongmin in his house.

(Dongmin cleaned up after Bin, though, so Myungjun definitely didn't mind him.)

The walk to the gym was, thankfully, short. It gave Myungjun just enough time to think through what Bin had told him.

He should invite Jinwoo to hang out. He should invite Jinwoo over to his apartment.

But _when_? They both had jobs and busy schedules. Really, the only free time Myungjun ever had was when he was exercising with Jinwoo.

And that gave him a grand idea.

If the only free time he had was also the only time he hung out with Jinwoo, surely he could invite Jinwoo over during that time? He had to make up some sort of excuse, though, for asking to practice at his house – perhaps he couldn't afford to make it to the gym all of the time after his month was up, so he needed help figuring out how to train at home.

That would actually work. Myungjun complimented his own brilliance.

“Bongcha!” he greeted loudly the moment he stepped inside the building. She looked up from her cell phone and raised her eyebrows.

“You're early,” was her return greeting. Myungjun decided he would have to work with her on her customer service.

“I have work this evening. Where's Jinwoo?”

Bongcha went back to her phone. “He just got in,” she murmured. “He'll be out soon, I guess, so if you want to wait by your practice mat-”

“I'm going to invite him over to my place, actually, so I'll stand here.”

Bongcha looked shocked. “You're...inviting him – he's _working_. He's clocked in, I don't-”

Myungjun waved a hand in her general direction. “Bongcha, Bongha – you're such a worrywart. I have it all figured out. See, I'm poor, right?”

“Right.”

“Wow, you don't have to agree so fast.” Myungjun gave a slight _tsk_ with his tongue before continuing. “I actually can't _really_ afford to do personal training for the month. I had to borrow money for it, and so I obviously won't be able to afford training for the following month.”

“More Jinwoo for me, then.”

“Bongcha, you're being rude. I won him, fair and square.”

Bongcha's lips were threatening to pull up in a smile, and she hid it by looking down at her phone again. “Get to the chase.”

“So I was going to tell Jinwoo that I need to learn how to do exercise techniques in my own humble abode. He takes the bait, comes over...”

Bongcha raised an eyebrow. “And then...?”

Myungjun blinked before giving a nervous chuckle. “To be honest, I hadn't thought that far in advance. Let's see, he comes over, I guess we exercise in my place, but then I have work afterwards. Oh, gosh-”

“He's coming up behind you,” Bongcha suddenly whispered.

He was thankful he had allied himself with his former enemy, because she _really_ saved him from blurting out potentially embarrassing nonsense in front of the man he was trying so desperately to court.

“Hey, Myungjun!”

Even Jinwoo's very simple greeting made Myungjun's heart beat harshly in his chest, and he had to take a deep breath to compose himself before spinning around.

“I-” He started, but Jinwoo smiled, and Myungjun's knees felt weak. He held onto Bongcha's desk for support. “I, um...want to train at home today.”

Jinwoo stared at him, and the smile started disappearing from his face. “What?”

“At home. Um...” Myungjun cleared his throat. “So...Bongcha, please explain it to him.” Myungjun's face was red and he couldn't stop stammering out his words.

Fortunately for him, Bongcha supplied the information readily. “He's not feeling well – he has a small cold, I think, and he still wants to exercise, but he also doesn't want to contaminate anything here, so he's asking if you can go to his house and work out with him there.”

“Apartment,” Myungjun coughed.

“Apartment, not house,” Bongcha corrected.

Jinwoo looked confused, and he scratched slightly at his blond hair. “You want me to go over to your place and train you there?”

Myungjun nodded his head, then averted his gaze. He'd rather not be making eye contact when Jinwoo rejected this wish. If he was looking down, perhaps he could pretend none of it ever happened. Perhaps he could act as if he had never even _met_ Jinwoo.

(Perhaps he could let Minhyuk come and take his place instead, because if Jinwoo rejected Myungjun, the humiliation would be too much.)

“Okay.”

Myungjun's head snapped back up. “What?”

Jinwoo was smiling widely again, and he shrugged. “I said okay. Is your house too far away? You've got me for two hours, so-”

“It's close by! Just a short walk!” Myungjun could hardly believe that had actually _worked_. He was about ready to cheer, but he stopped himself from doing so. “Do you want to go now?”

Jinwoo nodded and was actually grinning by that point. “Sure. I mean, I'm all ready, if that's what you were wondering.”

“It was! Alright, um...see you later, then, Bongcha!” He spun around and gave her a wink. “I'll let you know how it goes.”

Bongcha made a face and sat back down in her seat. “Don't,” she mumbled.

“Don't worry, I will.” Myungjun turned back to Jinwoo, who hadn't yet lost that grin.

(Myungjun wondered how he was expected to make it home without turning into a puddle of joy and happiness.)

“My apartment is small,” Myungjun commented as they walked down the street. Myungjun's exercise bag with one lonely bottle of water swung between them.

(Was it too soon to move it to his other side in order to hold Jinwoo's hand? Probably, but that didn't stop Myungjun from fantasizing about it.)

“How small?” Jinwoo asked. He hadn't been looking over too much at Myungjun. If Myungjun didn't know better, he would say that Jinwoo actually looked _shy_ – but that was stupid, because Jinwoo was strong and tough and _never_ shy.

“I mean, not _super_ small. It has two rooms.”

“Oh, you have a roommate, right?” Jinwoo nodded his head understandingly. “You've mentioned before about him. He's the one that got you the gym membership, isn't he?”

Myungjun snorted. “As _if_ Bin would get me anything. Minhyuk got me that. He signed it as _I know you need this_. How insulting is that? I mean, I know I'm not really fit, like, I don't have abs or muscles, and I'm not _super_ handsome, but I don't think-”

“Don't say that.”

The older boy blinked, then cocked his head at Jinwoo. “Say what?”

Jinwoo stared right back at him, his shyness suddenly evaporating. Instead, he looked serious and concerned. “Don't say that you're not handsome. You really are, Myungjun. And I don't care that you don't have abs or muscles. I think you're perfect.”

Oh.

Oh, _god_ , Jinwoo was the kindest person Myungjun had ever met. Jinwoo was so kind and thoughtful and sweet, and had they not been right in front of Myungjun's apartment door already, Myungjun probably would have sprinted home the rest of the way in order to hide his large grin.

As such, he was unable to hide it, and his grin forced Jinwoo to smile back.

“Ah, I'm...you really think so?” he asked quietly, bashfully.

Jinwoo gently reached a hand over and rubbed Myungjun's shoulder. “Of course I do. I wouldn't come over to just any customer's house, Myungjun.”

Myungjun decided he had probably died and traveled into heaven. This was too good to be true, and he giggled nervously before unlocking the door to his apartment. “And I wouldn't invite just anyone over,” he murmured.

He didn't miss Jinwoo's blush, and he really couldn't hide the smile. Really, nothing could make this day bad.

Except opening the front door and walking in on your friends passionately making out on the couch. That could make the day bad.

(Myungjun took it back – he hated Lee Dongmin.)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dongmin, aka mj's enemy.
> 
> I HAVENT UPDATED IN 87 YEARS im so happy to have written this. tbh, a lot more was supposed to happen, but i got carried away so all the cute myungjin stuff will happen NEXT chapter! idk when you guys will expect it, because finals are crackalacking and i kind of should maybe start prepping for that.
> 
> send me dollar bills to get me through finals [@vonseal](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com).


	6. myungjun breaks his record (and jinwoo breaks the tension)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jinwoo smiled nervously before stepping into the apartment. He looked over the living room for a few seconds before asking, “You took care of the trash?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everyone is trash in this fic, tbh. the writer is the biggest trash of it all.

Myungjun closed the door as quickly as he possibly could.

In his euphoric high, in his excitement to have Jinwoo over at his house, he had completely forgotten that Bin _was_ still at home, and that there had already been a high probability of Dongmin coming over as well. And if Myungjun had learned anything from the birds and the bees talk when he was younger, _when two people who love each other very much get together-_

“What's wrong?” Jinwoo asked.

Myungjun glanced over at him with wide eyes. “Huh?”

“You...just slammed the door shut.” Jinwoo looked confused. “I thought we were, um, going to go _into_ your apartment.” When Myungjun didn't answer, Jinwoo cleared his throat and added, “Isn't this your apartment?”

Myungjun wished it wasn't. “Yeah.”

“So...?”

And, suddenly, Myungjun realized that Jinwoo hadn't seen a thing. He had been positioned in a spot where he would have had to _peer_ over Myungjun, which he obviously hadn't been doing, and so Jinwoo, at least, had pure eyes.

Myungjun praised whatever god was listening that Jinwoo was ignorant of the happenings going on right behind the door.

This _did_ mean, however, that they could no longer go into the apartment. With Bin and Dongmin engaging in unspeakable activities ( _on the couch_ , Myungjun thought angrily), there was no way to properly open the door fully and explain to Jinwoo, _Oh, don't mind the couple getting it on, let's just exercise_.

So their date was over before it began. Great.

“I actually, um...”

Jinwoo smiled softly and shuffled his feet. “I'm nervous, too, Myungjun.”

“What?”

“I mean...I thought this was...not exactly a _date_ , is it? But...I still would like to spend time with you, even if I'm nervous, so it's okay for _you_ to be nervous.” And Jinwoo reached a hand out to lightly grab Myungjun's wrist, his thumb rubbing over it in a very similar motion to when Myungjun first hired Jinwoo as a personal fitness trainer. “But I think we'll both manage this... _session_ just fine.”

Myungjun decided he was going to get rid of Bin and Dongmin if it was the last thing he did.

“Well, there's some trash in there, I noticed, and I need to take care of that.”

“Some trash?” Jinwoo blinked.

“Yeah. My roommate, um...I guess he left some trash on the couch. So if you don't mind just waiting out here, it'll only take a minute or two for me to take out the trash. Alright?” Myungjun had to steel himself before opening his front door again, ever so slightly this time. “I'll come get you when I cleaned it all up. I don't want you thinking I'm messy!”

Jinwoo laughed and shook his head. “Myungjun, it's fine, I won't mind-”

“I mind, so just wait right out here!” Myungjun gave him a wink, then slipped inside his apartment, making certain to close and lock the door behind him (he didn't want Jinwoo sneaking in while he was working on pulling apart a very passionate couple).

When he faced the scene again, Dongmin's shirt was coming off and Bin's jeans were unzipped.

“Hell _no_ ,” Myungjun murmured, and he rushed over there. “I can't _believe_ you two!” he hissed at them as he grabbed Bin's shoulder.

As he should have expected (but he didn't expect, because Myungjun had no idea what to expect anymore), Bin and Dongmin pulled apart violently. Dongmin nearly yelped out in shock, but Myungjun slapped a hand over his mouth (and, _gross_ , it was so wet, he didn't even want to imagine how much saliva they had exchanged).

“What the _hell_ are you doing home?” Bin snapped. He looked far more angry than Dongmin did.

“Not important. What _is_ important is _why_ are you two doing this on _my_ couch?”

Dongmin had grabbed his shirt and held it up to his chest embarrassingly. Bin didn't seem to care that they had been caught, though, if his haughty gaze was anything to go by.

“Where else would we do it?”

“In your _bed_ , Bin, like a normal human.” Myungjun glanced back at the front door. He had to hurry if he didn't want Jinwoo to run away on him. “Get up and go to your room.”

“No.”

“No?” Myungjun's head snapped back to Bin. Dongmin was hiding his face at this point. “What do you mean by _no_?”

“I mean just that. _No_.” Bin huffed. “You said you wouldn't be back until late tonight, so why don't _you_ go to your room? I don't get a chance to do this much.”

Myungjun simply scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Don't you lie to me, I hear you guys all the time at night. You get way more action than I do-”

“And your attitude here is why you don't get much action.”

Myungjun was going to lose his temper if he was unable to kick Bin off of the couch, and his lips tightened. Both Bin and Dongmin seemed to recognize the signs of Myungjun's typically cheerful (if not obnoxious) personality dwindling away.

“ _Jinwoo_ is right outside this door-”

“Why is Jinwoo here?”

“Also not important. What _is_ important-”

“No, seriously, why is Jinwoo here?” Bin looked a little interested, so Myungjun decided to indulge him.

“You told me I should invite Jinwoo to hang out.” Myungjun smiled proudly. “So I did.”

“I didn't mean _today_. I meant-”

“That doesn't matter. He's here, and I'm not ending our date before it began, so if you two don't go to your room, Bin, in ten seconds, I swear I'm going to punch you in the face. I'll even punch _Dongmin_ in the face.”

“He's got nothing to do with this.”

“It takes two to procreate.”

“Pro-? Myungjun, we're both _guys_.”

Myungjun didn't have time for this, and he realized punching Bin _or_ Dongmin was a bad plan, so he switched tactics. He took a deep breath, then held his hands out in front of him in a begging motion. “Bin, _please_! You know I've been crushing on Jinwoo for _weeks_ , please just let me have this time with him.”

“ _You_ knew I'd invite Dongmin over for this, so-”

“Bin!” Myungjun dropped down to his knees and ignored Dongmin's wide-eyed stare. “Bin, I'm seriously going to be forever in your debt if you allow me to have the living room, just for an hour and a half. Once that time is up, I'll get ready for work and you and Dongmin can do whatever you want, and I won't say a thing even if I can't sleep because of you two going at-”

“Bin, just say yes to shut him up,” Dongmin whined, cheeks flushed a furious shade of red.

Now that Dongmin was on board, Myungjun knew he would get his way. And, sure enough, Bin conceded. “Fine!” he snapped, pulling Dongmin up from the couch. “We'll entertain ourselves _quietly_.”

“By entertain, you better mean play a game or something, because these walls are thin and Dongmin is _really_ loud, and I'd rather Jinwoo not hear moaning or-”

“Oh my _god_.” Dongmin was pulling Bin away with one hand, the other hand holding the shirt close to his chest still. “Bin, just come on, okay? We'll watch a movie or something on your laptop, _please_ let's just go!”

“I'm coming,” Bin grumbled, and he pointed at Myungjun. “You owe me for this.”

“You shouldn't have been doing that on the couch, anyway,” Myungjun retorted.

“Hmm, you should have told me that before you bought the couch. Dongmin, how many times-”

“Just go!” Myungjun exclaimed, pushing at Bin. “I don't even care, my time with Jinwoo is going down the more you talk!”

(He did care, because _ew_.)

Bin finally left, dragged away by a terribly embarrassed and humiliated Dongmin, and Myungjun scrambled to set up his couch pillows straight and regain his typically cheerful (and totally _not_ obnoxious) personality.

He opened the door with a bright grin.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Jinwoo!”

Jinwoo smiled nervously before stepping into the apartment. He looked over the living room for a few seconds before asking, “You took care of the trash?”

“The trash has been taken care of, yes.” And Myungjun apparently owed his life to the trash. He was already devising ways to get out of doing whatever it was Bin would ask him to do. “So, what type of training are we going to work on today? Anything that can be done in a small space, I guess.”

Jinwoo nodded his head. “Yeah. Do you have an exercise mat?”

“Um...” Myungjun glanced over at his large workout bag. He wondered if an exercise mat was something people were supposed to carry around. “Should I have one?”

“It makes it easier, but, uh, if you don't have one, we can just do it on the floor, I guess.”

“Do...exercising, right?”

“What else would we be doing?” Jinwoo didn't seem shy anymore. Just as Myungjun had retained his bright and cheerful persona, so had Jinwoo retained his training persona. Myungjun would much rather have shy, giggly Jinwoo.

(Regardless, he _did_ get a chance to stare at Jinwoo's nice biceps, and he _also_ got the image of Jinwoo in and around his apartment, so he supposed that might be as much as he could ask for today.)

“Exercise. That's what I thought, too. Just making sure we were on the same path!” Myungjun grinned and plopped down to the floor. “Alright, so what do I do first, Jinwoo?”

Apparently, squats were what he did first. Jinwoo tried making him hold one for a full minute, but after Myungjun collapsed for a third time, Jinwoo had moved him over to a wall. “Can you hold a wall squat for a minute?” he asked.

“Sure thing,” Myungjun mumbled, despite being already out of breath. He was able to hold his wall squat for thirty seconds before his trembling legs gave out on him and he fell to the floor in a crumbled mess.

Embarrassment poked at Myungjun's skin, but Jinwoo reached a hand down to pull him up in a sitting position. “You just beat your own personal record!” the fitness trainer announced proudly. “You've only held it for twenty-six seconds before!”

Myungjun scoffed. “I can't even hold a wall squat properly.”

“But it's hard to do. You're already doing it for a longer period of time than a lot of people can do.” Jinwoo gave Myungjun an encouraging pat. “Let's try some push-ups, okay? I think you've been getting better at those, too.”

But Myungjun was only able to complete ten full push-ups before resting his chest on the floor. He breathed harshly and moved to wipe some sweat out of his eyes.

“You're breaking all sorts of records today, Myungjun!” Jinwoo congratulated him.

“You're paid to say shit like that,” Myungjun groaned out as he tried lifting himself up on shaky hands.

“I'm paid to tell the truth.”

“That's what car salesmen say.”

Jinwoo laughed at that, and, once again, helped Myungjun up. “Let's try to beat your record for sit-ups now.”

“How much is that?”

“You need to do twelve of them.”

And Myungjun _really_ didn't want to. He didn't think he could do three at this point, let alone _twelve_ , but Jinwoo was giving him a soft, gummy grin and Myungjun wanted to keep hearing those sweet compliments.

So, with a loud whine, he agreed. Jinwoo's face brightened up all the more as Myungjun got himself in position.

“I'll hold your feet down,” Jinwoo offered, and he pressed his hands into Myungjun's toes. “And I'll start counting whenever you're ready.”

“Are you timing me?”

Jinwoo shook his head. “Not today. You just go at your own pace, alright?”

Jinwoo was too kind, really, and Myungjun's heart ached for him. He _had_ to do twelve sit-ups in order to impress Jinwoo. He _had_ to make Jinwoo see that he wasn't useless, and that he _would_ develop muscles. Then, maybe, Jinwoo would _really_ find him sexy and handsome.

So he worked on his sit-ups, his breaths becoming more and more uneven the longer he went.

Seven sit-ups later (and two minutes later), Myungjun had given up and was lying on the floor in defeat. His knees were still bent, though, and Jinwoo was still holding his toes.

“Come on, Myungjun, you just need five more.”

“I can't.”

“I'll give you a reward if you do five more.”

“I'm not a kid, Jinwoo.”

It was quiet for a second, save for Myungjun's harsh breathing, and Jinwoo suddenly begged, _“Please_ , Myungjun? For me?”

God, he really couldn't just give up so easily, could he? Not when Jinwoo was gazing at him with wide eyes, jutting his lower lip out in a pout and looking undeniably adorable.

Myungjun forced himself up again, his chest coming to his knees as he gave a pained, _“One_ -”

And, suddenly, Jinwoo leaned forward and pressed a kiss against Myungjun's sweaty forehead.

Myungjun's body screamed for him to fall back down, to stop pushing his abdominal muscles in such a way, but Myungjun's heart had frozen. He stared at Jinwoo with wide eyes, and the more he stared, the more sheepish Jinwoo began to look.

“Um...m-maybe I misinterpreted the, uh, the situation, and...by your silence, it seems I did.” Jinwoo swallowed thickly. “I'm so sorry. We can stop, if-”

He didn't get a chance to continue, because Myungjun had suddenly flung his upper body back to the floor, then pulled himself up again as quickly as possible. “Two!” he announced, his eyes still wide.

Jinwoo blinked. “You...want to keep-?”

“Two,” Myungjun repeated expectantly.

Jinwoo was quiet for a few seconds before smiling shyly. He leaned forward and lightly kissed Myungjun's left cheek. “Two,” he murmured.

And Myungjun did another sit-up, even quicker than his last one. “Three,” he said.

Jinwoo was laughing at this point, and Myungjun's other cheek received the same treatment as its partner. “Three.”

When his fourth situp was complete, Myungjun didn't even get a chance to announce the number before Jinwoo leaned forward and puckered his lips against Myungjun's nose. Myungjun couldn't stop the grin that was on his face. “Four,” Jinwoo murmured.

Myungjun didn't move, and Jinwoo shifted nervously. “Um, you need your fifth reward.”

“I know.” Myungjun giggled and took a deep breath. “I'm preparing myself for it, is all. Make it good, Jinwoo, alright?”

Jinwoo nodded his head proudly, and when Myungjun's fifth and final sit-up was completed, he felt Jinwoo's lips press into his own, light and chaste and every cute fantasy Myungjun had ever dreamed it would be. Myungjun kissed back, too, closing his eyes and savoring every single second the kiss stretched on for.

When Jinwoo pulled back slowly, his hand tangled in Myungjun's sweat-covered hair, he grinned wide enough that his cheeks pushed his eyes up into crescents. “Five.”

Myungjun returned the grin, then bumped his nose into Jinwoo's nose. “Do I have to do more sit-ups to get more kisses?”

“Nope. I can just kiss you for the rest of the time, if you'd like.”

“I'd like that.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh this fic should have been given a T rating with the first chapter. but this is as lewd as i'll ever get. im pure, pls dont hate me for this, everyone is pure, astro is too pure. (if you want to hate me, you totally can, just know that i will cry).
> 
> send me dollar bills [@vonseal](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com) so i can move somewhere cooler, because _i have lived in the southern states of the US for 21 years and i still despise the intense humidity, how am i supposed to breathe in my own house, im suffocating)_.


	7. stupid, fluffy marshmallow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New mission: Love Myungjun forever and ever.  
> (He was one hundred percent certain he would pass that mission.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LAST CHAPTER we have come to a close and it's legit just a chapter of myungjin fluff. im weak.

Jinwoo usually gave himself many different missions to complete.

He remembered in high school a certain mission had been, _go on a date with the cute flute player in the school band_. As it turned out, the cute flute player was very straight and also very disgusted by Jinwoo's hand-made confession card, and Jinwoo couldn't _believe_ he had failed such an important mission.

Another mission had been when he landed his first job at a fast food joint, and he had been determined to be promoted to a full-time position. As _that_ turned out, his manager didn't like it very much when he spilled five orders in two days, and he had been fired, not promoted.

So, after landing himself a job at the local gym (and actually excelling in his line of work, thus paying off years of lifting weights and training), he had made it a mission to really change someone's life, to make them muscular and ripped and possibly go to weight-lifting competitions as their personal coach. But that hadn't really worked out in his favor just yet, either.

So he needed an easy mission, and Myungjun had given him one after tossing him his wallet. “Buy me some ice cream?” his boyfriend had asked (but when Myungjun asked, it was more often than not a demand).

Jinwoo blinked and had looked down at the wallet. “Can I get some, too?”

“Aren't you on a diet?”

“Not really. I mean, I work out enough that I think my body can handle a little bit of ice cream.”

Myungjun had glanced up from his phone, his eyes scanning over Jinwoo's toned arms. Myungjun's piercing gaze always made Jinwoo flustered, and today was no exception.

“Stop staring!” he had complained, smacking his boyfriend's arm. “Can I just get ice cream?”

“You make it hard not to stare. You're like a god, and I can't believe you're dating _me_.”

Jinwoo really wanted ice cream.

“Stop saying stuff like that. You're perfect.” He leaned over and planted a kiss on Myungjun's cheek, earning himself a delightful blush from the older boy. “You're the most perfect man I know.”

“I'm also the only gay man you know.”

“Not true!” Jinwoo huffed. “I know Bin and Dongmin-”

“But they're a couple. I'm the only _single_ gay man you know.” Myungjun winked his way and whispered, “So that's why we're dating-”

Jinwoo frowned at him. “That's not why I'm dating you. I've met plenty of gay men before in bars and-”

If he had learned anything from dating Myungjun, it was that Myungjun was very easily jealous. “When?”

“It was a while ago, Myungjun. And _none_ of them ever caught my attention.” He poked Myungjun's nose, and the other boy scrunched it up. _Adorable_ , Jinwoo thought as a smile began to tug on his cheeks. “You're seriously the only person I can imagine myself dating.”

Myungjun's face was red still, and he groaned out, flinging himself backwards on their picnic blanket (which was really just Myungjun's old bedsheet). “Fine! Gosh, buy yourself some ice cream, too!”

Jinwoo giggled. “I wasn't saying any of that because I wanted ice cream, Myungjunnie. You're really just the most handsome, precious, sweet-”

“Just get ice cream.” Myungjun hid his face behind his hands, causing his voice to come out slightly muffled. “Vanilla for me, please. No...chocolate. Actually, one vanilla and one chocolate. We'll share.”

Jinwoo nodded his head, then mussed Myungjun's hair. “You have cash in here?”

“Yup. Oh, and a coupon. Use the coupon, I think it's half off if you use it.”

And Myungjun's instructions _sounded_ simple enough, but when Jinwoo delivered his order to the cashier and was given the price, he couldn't actually find the coupon in Myungjun's mess-of-a-wallet. “Hold on,” he mumbled. “My boyfriend told me there was a coupon in here.”

“Girlfriend?” the cashier asked.

“ _Boy_ friend,” Jinwoo snapped back, and he dumped a few old receipts out of the wallet, ignoring the cashier's slight grimace.

“You're holding other people up,” the cashier mumbled.

Jinwoo decided he couldn't even do this simple mission, and with a huff, he passed over the cash Myungjun had stored away. “Sorry,” he mumbled out his apology. The cashier accepted it with a nod of his head before passing over the two ice cream cones.

He didn't tell Jinwoo _have a nice day_ like he had the previous customers, but Jinwoo didn't care all that much. He was far more focused with trying to stuff the receipt paper back in the wallet and wondering how the hell Myungjun was able to even _find_ anything in such a mess.

He headed back to their makeshift blanket, the wallet hanging out of his pocket and the ice cream already beginning to melt from the hot, afternoon sun. By the time he managed to sit back down, some of the ice cream had dripped down his hand.

“Ooh, thank you!” Myungjun sat back up and grinned widely. “Which one should I get first? I sort of want vanilla, but chocolate is _always_ my favorite flavor.”

“Can you grab your wallet first?” Jinwoo jutted his hip out slightly. “I couldn't find the coupon. When do you ever clean that thing?”

“Never,” Myungjun responded, and he pulled the wallet away from Jinwoo's pocket. “If it gets too bad, I just buy myself a new one.”

“That's a waste of money.”

“It's _my_ waste of money.” Myungjun finally decided to take the vanilla ice cream first, and he licked at some of the dessert that had begun melting down the side of the cone. “Bin told me that getting a personal fitness trainer was a waste of money, too, but look how wrong _he_ turned out to be!” Myungjun giggled and nudged his shoulder into Jinwoo's.

“Well, you didn't gain much muscle.”

“But I didn't gain much _weight_ , either.” Myungjun seemed proud of that.

Jinwoo sighed and stared at his chocolate ice cream. “I was supposed to help you gain muscle. That's my job.”

“Not anymore. Now your job is to buy me ice cream and lay down in my lap during movie nights and give me sweet kisses every morning and tell me that I look amazing, even though I've just woken up and my face is bloated and I have a few pimples on my forehead.” Myungjun snorted. “I can't tell if you're just the best boyfriend ever, or you're trying to soften me up for something nefarious.”

“Oh, definitely trying to soften you up for something nefarious.”

“A _ha_!” Myungjun laughed, nudging Jinwoo again, harder this time. “I was right! What is it, you evil little monster? What nefarious thing are you softening me up for?”

Jinwoo had to think for a few seconds before gesturing over to the wallet. “Cleaning.”

Myungjun gave a sharp intake of breath. “You're the worst sort of evil.”

“Aren't I?” Jinwoo grinned and kissed Myungjun's cheek. “I call you all the sweet names in the world, but it's all just because I want you to clean your wallet.”

“God.” Myungjun always blushed when Jinwoo kissed him. Jinwoo found it absolutely endearing, and he also wondered how he had become the luckiest man in the world. Surely Myungjun must have _hundreds_ of suitors after him. He was too good to be true. “Will you keep calling me sweet names, even if I never clean out my wallet?”

“What do you think?”

“I think I'm not going to clean out my wallet.”

Jinwoo smirked. “Well...alright then, _sweetie_ - _cheeks_ -”

Myungjun gave a bark of laughter and shoved Jinwoo away from him. “On second thought, I'm cleaning it out just so you never call me _sweetie-cheeks_ ever again.”

He wouldn't clean it out, though. Jinwoo was certain of that fact, and as they walked home, hands sticky from the ice cream smiles bright and cheerful, Jinwoo really didn't care just _how_ messy the wallet was. And he told as much to Myungjun as the older boy fumbled with his keys to his apartment. “Good, because we both know I was never going to clean that thing.”

“I still think you should, _sweetie-chee_ -”

“If you call me that one more time, I won't ever let you kiss my cheeks again.”

It probably wasn't true, but Jinwoo sure wasn't going to take that chance. He simply hid a chuckle behind his hand as Myungjun puffed his cheeks out in mock irritation and finally opened their door.

“Bin!” he yelled out, depositing the bedsheet by his door to wash later. He kicked his shoes off, and when his roommate didn't answer, he tried again, “Bin, we're home, and if Dongmin is in your room, stop your shenanigans because Jinwoo is here!”

Still no response.

Myungjun sighed, stepped fully inside the house, and yelled louder, “If you insist on continuing, at _least_ stick something in Dongmin's mouth to-!”

Jinwoo shoved Myungjun lightly, making him giggle and stumble forward. “Don't be dirty,” Jinwoo fussed at him.

“How did you know I would be _dirty_? I mean, he should stuff something like...like a muffin, or cake, or-”

“No you didn't. Besides, it looks like he left a note for you.” Jinwoo gestured over to the couch, where a sticky-note sat perched on one of the cushions. “I've got it.” Jinwoo was closer, anyway, and so he yanked the note off the couch and read, “ _MJ, I'm going over to Dongmin's place, don't expect me back_.”

Myungjun gave a slight _tsk_ with his tongue. “I feel bad for Dongmin's neighbors.”

“Oh my god, Myungjun.”

“I'm not saying anything dirty, Jinwoo. You just jump to the wrong conclusions. There are a lot of reasons to feel bad for Dongmin's neighbors.” Myungjun plopped down on the couch. “For one, Bin is obnoxious. Also, Dongmin _is_ really loud, you've-”

Jinwoo groaned and ran a hand down his face. “And you aren't?”

“Hey-”

“Because, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't _your_ neighbors knock at your door the other night to inform you that they think it's fine for you to have sex but you need to stick a sock in your mouth?” Jinwoo smirked at his boyfriend's obvious discomfort. “So let's not point fingers.”

Myungjun pouted and leaned back into the couch. “Fine. I won't.”

Really, Myungjun was the absolute _cutest_ man Jinwoo had ever laid eyes on. His smirk turned into a soft smile as he watched Myungjun mumbled under his breath and pull his knees up underneath him.

Myungjun noticed the staring, and he looked embarrassed. “Why are you just standing there?”

“I'm admiring my boyfriend.”

“Gross.”

“Don't call it gross. It's even better than admiring fancy artwork.”

“Stop flattering me. I said I won't clean my wallet.”

Jinwoo giggled, then leaned forward and smacked a kiss on Myungjun's forehead. “I love you,” he murmured, causing Myungjun to look up at him with adoration in his gaze.

“I...I love you, too, Jinwoo, but you make me nervous just standing there.”

The younger boy laughed and gestured to the couch. “You said you didn't want me to sit on the couch because-”

“Oh, god, right!” Myungjun scrambled to his feet, brushing imaginary germs off his clothes. “You should have reminded me earlier! _This_ is gross! Ew, I probably have all these sex germs on my clothes-”

“ _What_ germs?”

“-and I keep meaning to burn that couch, but I always forget! We need to burn it, Jinwoo.”

Myungjun was overly dramatic and Jinwoo rolled his eyes. “Look, it's fine.” He moved to sit down on it, quite ready to prove his point, but Myungjun grabbed him.

“No.”

“No?”

“No, let's take it to the curb. We can buy another couch later. That way, I won't sit on it, and the sex germs will be out of this house once and for all!”

Myungjun looked determined and motivated (quite different from their exercise sessions, honestly), and Jinwoo knew that once his boyfriend set his mind to do something, he wouldn't quit until he was done. And it _would_ be a lot faster of a process if Jinwoo were to help.

So Jinwoo helped pull an entire couch from Myungjun's apartment and walk it down two flights of stairs.

By the time they were finished, Myungjun collapsed on the floor, breathing harshly and wiping sweat off his forehead with the front of his shirt. “Who the hell decided to make couches so heavy?”

“The couch-making people,” Jinwoo replied, plopping down next to Myungjun and rubbing at his back. “The people who design them. Or maybe the people who build them? I'll have to admit, Myungjun, I don't know _too_ much about the couch-making business.”

“We should make our own couch that is repellent to the sex germ.”

Jinwoo wondered if that was his new mission. He sure hoped not, because it sounded like an impossible task. He moved to lay down on his back, staring up at the ceiling and listening to Myungjun's harsh breathing.

“Why aren't you saying anything?” Myungjun asked in a pant.

“I'm appreciating life.”

“You should be appreciating _me_.”

“You're my life.”

Myungjun groaned, and Jinwoo didn't even have to look over to know his boyfriend was burying his face in their carpet. “Stop being so cheesy and sweet and gross, Jinwoo! When I started dating you, I did so because I thought you were this big, strong, tough dude, but you're a stupid marshmallow.”

“I haven't heard that insult before.”

“A stupid, fluffy marshmallow.”

Jinwoo grinned. “I like marshmallows.”

It was quiet for a few seconds before Myungjun rolled over, maneuvering himself into Jinwoo's arms. Jinwoo hugged him tightly, pulling him close to his chest and not minding the smelly, sweaty mess that Myungjun had become.

(Besides, it was a good workout, and considering Myungjun's only reason now to come to the gym was to kiss Jinwoo in front of Bongcha, this was probably as good of a workout as Myungjun would have for a while – until later that night, if Jinwoo had anything to say about it.)

“I _love_ marshmallows,” Myungjun mumbled softly.

Jinwoo's heart skipped a beat. He didn't know how Myungjun always managed to make him into a gooey mess of pure joy.

(Myungjun was right – he was just a stupid, fluffy marshmallow.)

“Do you think,” Myungjun started in a whisper, seeming very unsure of himself, “that you can love _me_ forever and ever? Even if I'm loud sometimes and annoy our neighbors, and even if I make you toss out couches with no actual money to buy a new one, and even if-”

He didn't need to say anything more. Jinwoo had already lifted up his chin and was pressing kisses into Myungjun's lips, needy and sweet and expressing all the emotion he found impossible to keep bottled up in on himself.

He accepted the mission readily, though, with a nod of his head, causing Myungjun to smile shyly at him.

New mission: Love Myungjun forever and ever.

(He was one hundred percent certain he would pass that mission.)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MYUNGJIN. FLUFFY MYUNGJIN!!! it feels like forever since i wrote fluffy myungjin, i need to make another fluffy myungjin story. shoot me ideas, pls, for some myungjin stories i can write with tons of sickly sweet fluff.
> 
> and send me dollar bills [@vonseal](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com) so i can buy tacos tonight.


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